Police arrest Murrysville man in connection with 2017 homicide of his estranged wife

A Murrysville man has been arrested by Allegheny County Police, accused in the 2017 murder of his estranged wife.

Antonio Vecchiola, 34, was apprehended at a Monroeville strip mall Thursday afternoon.

He is charged with homicide for the death of Jessica Vecchiola, 29, of Penn Hills.

Police said she was found unresponsive at her home along Loretta Drive by her mother the evening of Feb. 6, 2017.

Jessica Vecchiola was pronounced dead at the scene, and Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office determined two days later that she died from Atlanto-Occipital dislocation, which is, in effect, a separation of the skull from the spinal column.

According to the criminal complaint, Jessica Vecchiola’s mother, Elizabeth Arrington, told detectives her daughter was the victim of a “road rage incident” in January 2017.

Vecchiola told her mother she was attacked by two unknown women. They brought Jessica Vecchiola’s 2-year-old son to Antonio Vecchiola’s home on Jan. 31, 2017 because she was in too much pain to care for him, and she went to UPMC East for treatment and given a neck brace.

Court documents include a text message exchange between Jessica and Antonio Vecchiola from Feb. 5, 2017, in which she’s attempting to arrange a meeting to pick up her son.

Her death was ruled a homicide in January 2019.

Detectives presented the facts of the case to the Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala’s office Thursday and an arrest warrant was issued. Antonio Vecchiola was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Allegheny County Jail.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. June 21 at Pittsburgh Municipal Court.